'Pokémon GO' Buddy system added for trainers; provides bonuses such as Candy
"Pokémon GO" developer Niantic is not yet done in making the location-based augmented reality mobile game as realistic as it could be for the players. Just like how Ash can walk around with Pikachu in the animated series, "Pokémon GO" gamers can now also have the chance to travel with a Pokémon outside of its Pokéball.
Niantic announced that they will release an update called Buddy Pokémon. This will allow trainers to have one Pokémon Buddy at a time. It's not released yet, but the game development company already confirmed that it will become available soon. Gamers will then have a Buddy Pokémon appear beside the trainer avatar on the profile screen.
They will also have the option to pick their favorite monster from their current collection. Once they are done choosing, their Pokémon Buddy will no longer be available for trading unless it is removed as a Buddy, as noted in a report. Aside from that, they cannot be assigned to do other tasks within the games such as joining gym battles and guarding gyms. It's also noted that there are four categories of Buddy Pokémon based on their size. These categories are medium, shoulder, big, and flying.
There are a number of advantages to having a Buddy Pokémon. A trainer will be able to earn additional candies by walking with the Buddy. Most Pokémon only need to travel a distance of one to two kilometers in order to acquire candy rewards.
If gamers want a fresh experience, they can always change their Pokémon Buddy anytime. The Buddy system in the game is expected to help trainers get rare Pokémon much faster.
A lot of details about the update are still kept under wraps for now, but more information is expected to be released soon.
No specific date was announced for the release of the update, but some observe that Niantic releases updates every other week. Based on the game developer's habit, the Buddy Pokémon system is expected to arrive this week, so fans should stay tuned.
